toil 1 of 3

toil

2 of 3

noun (2)

as in tangle
usually toils plural something that catches and holds a married woman hopelessly caught in the toils of an extramarital affair

Synonyms & Similar Words

toil

3 of 3

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun toil contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of toil are drudgery, grind, labor, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When would drudgery be a good substitute for toil?

Although the words drudgery and toil have much in common, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When might grind be a better fit than toil?

The words grind and toil can be used in similar contexts, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

Where would labor be a reasonable alternative to toil?

The words labor and toil are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When could travail be used to replace toil?

While the synonyms travail and toil are close in meaning, travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

When is it sensible to use work instead of toil?

The meanings of work and toil largely overlap; however, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of toil
Noun
In the microcosm, every player, staff member, and yes, possibly even executive, has their own individual story of overcoming and toil which, on Saturday night, was realised in the glare of a thousand camera flashes. Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 June 2025 There’s also mental health counseling to help the students deal with the emotional toil that homelessness takes. Debbie Daniel, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 May 2025
Verb
By the final month, 1,200 workers were toiling at breakneck speed to complete the project on time — if not on budget. Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 9 July 2025 For nearly a decade, Case has also been toiling away on songs for a musical adaptation of the classic (and still relevant) 1991 film Thelma & Louise with the film’s director, Callie Khouri, who wrote the book for the show. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 8 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for toil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toil
Verb
  • My breathing was labored—short and ragged inhales, long faint exhales.
    Amie Barrodale, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
  • Nobody knows what to expect from Waller, but the same can, and should be said about this Dolphins team, which has labored all offseason to course correct the team’s culture.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • The party of the president usually struggles in a midterm election like next year's race to replace Peters.
    M.L. Elrick, Freep.com, 23 July 2025
  • But AmeriCorps officials have struggled in recent years to provide financial information to auditors and have acknowledged the need for reforms.
    Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 23 July 2025
Verb
  • Even though her husband and her eldest son will one day be king, Princess Kate has strived to maintain a sense of normalcy at home.
    Meredith Kile, People.com, 22 July 2025
  • These dishes have to be perfect, even in their simplicity, and there’s something exciting about striving for that.
    David Hochman, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
Verb
  • This technique works especially well when readers are swimming in too many possibilities.
    Renae Gregoire, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • During his first term in office, Trump wasn’t exactly kind to Meghan Markle, who was a working member of the royal family at the time.
    Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 15 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Toil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toil. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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